Railway traffic controlling apparatus



Jan, 14, 1936. E. M. ALLEN ET AL RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed March 14, 1935 55E16; P T x E 5 0 15x1 4 5 Q Z 6 4* 0 x 8 B 9 L 'F I f INVENTORS Earl M .Allen and BY Henry S. Ybung.

Q2 M THEIR ATTORNEY UUQI bll \Uk Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Application March 14, 1935, Serial No. 11,130

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to railway traffic controlling apparatus of the type involving a railway traffic governing device controlled by a manually operable lever or other suitable device, subject to Relay Q is controlled by an approach or stick locking relay P and by track relay T.

Locking relay P may be controlled in any suitable manner such, for example, as shown for relay given traffic conditions. L in a Patent No. 1,956,851, which was granted 5 One feature of our invention is the provision of May 1, 1934, to C. A. Brooks and J. M. Pelikan, a novel and improved arrangement for the confor Railway trafiic controlling apparatus. The trol of a stick relay for requiring action by the manner in which relay P is controlled prevents leverman at the time the trailic governing device an operator from changing the position of switch 10 is operated. In respect to this feature, our in- H until a measured period of time has elapsed 10 vention is an improvement upon that disclosed in after a signal S has been caused to indicate stop, the co-pending application Serial No. 695,294, if an eastbound train has entered section B-C filed Oct. 26, 1933, by Earl M. Allen and Howard A. while one of the signals S is indicating caution or Thompson, for Interlocking control apparatus. proceed.

Our invention is also an improvement upon that Stick relay R is controlled by contact 6 of lever 15 disclosed in a copending application Serial No. It and by lock relay Q. An asymmetric unit 1', 715,527, filed Mar. 14, 1934, by Ronald A. McCann, which may be of the well known copper oxide for Railway traflic controlling apparatus. rectifier valve type, is connected across the ter- We will describe one form of apparatus emminals of relay R to permit current to flow in bodying our invention, and will then point out the direction indicated by the arrowhead portion 20 the novel features thereof in claims. of the symbol for unit 2' when relay R is dis- The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic connected from a source of energy.

view, showing one form of apparatus embodying As shown in the drawing, all parts of the apour invention. paratus are in the normal condition, that is,

5 Referring to the drawing, the reference charswitch lever is is in its normal position n; switch acters l and I designate the track rails of a H is in its normal position; signals S are indistretch of railway track Y which is divided by eating stop; relays P, T and Q are energized; and insulated joints 2 into sections 3-0 and CD. relay R is deenergized. The circuit by which Each of these sections is provided with a track relay Q is energized passes from terminal a: of a circuit, as shown for section CD, comprising a suitable source of current not shown in the draw- 30 battery, designated by the reference character 3, ing, through contact 4 of relay P, contact 5 of connected across the rails adjacent one end of relay T, and the winding of relay Q to terminal the section, and a relay, designated by the refero of the same source of current. ence character T, connected across the rails ad- We will assume that, with all parts of the jacent theopposite end of the section. apparatus thus in the normal condition, the lever- 35 Located in section CD is a switch H for conman desires to reverse switch H. He will therenecting track Y with a second track Z. Switch H fore move lever is to its reverse position 1'. is operated by a suitable mechanism designated While lever is is between its 12 and 1' positions, a by the reference character M. pickup circuit is closed for relay R, passing from At point C, signals S and S are shown for terminal 9:, through contact 6 of lever is, contact 40 controlling eastbound tramc movements, that is, 8 of relay Q, and the winding of relay R to tertrafllc movements from left to right, as shown in minal o. If contact 6 of lever is becomes opened the drawing, over switch H in its normal and before front contact I of relay R closes, the enreverse positions, respectively. ergy stored in relay R will be dissipated by current Mechanism M is controlled by pole-changing flowing through the path which includes asym- 45 contacts of a manually operable lever is, and by a metric unit 2 and the winding of relay R, thereby lock relay Q and also by a stick relay R. tending to help relay R to close its front contacts Lever It has a normal position 11. and a reverse 1 and II. Contact l of relay R, upon closing, composition r. Pole-changing contacts 9 and I2 pletes a stick circuit for relay R, passing from of lever is are closed when the lever is in the 1:. terminal as, through contact I of relay R, contact 8 50 and r positions, but are open when the lever is of relay Q, and the winding of relay R to terbetween these two positions. A third contact 6, minal 0. With this stick circuit closed, relay R operated by lever k, is closed when the lever is will be retained in the energized condition after between its n and 1' positions, but is open when contact 6 of lever It opens when lever it reaches the lever is in either of these two positions. the 1' position. 65

With relay R energized, and. with lever is in its 1' position, a reverse circuit will be completed for mechanism M, passing from terminal x, through contact 9 of lever is in its reverse position, mechanism M, contact H of relay R, contact In of relay Q, and contact l2 of lever k in its reverse position to terminal 0. Mechanism M will now move switch H to its reverse position.

We will further assume that the leverman now clears signal S for a train to move over switch H in the reverse position to track Z. Locking relay P will therefore be deenergized, permitting its contact 4 to open the circuit for relay Q. Relay Q, upon becoming deenergized, in turn permits its contact 8 to open, and thereby deenergize relay R. When the train enters section C-D, the circuit for relay Q will also be opened at contact 5 of relay T. As long as relay R remains deenergized, its contact II will be open in the circuit previously traced for mechanism M.

When the leverman desires to return switch H to the normal position, he will return lever k to its 11. position, thereby energizing relay R, as previously described, when relay Q has again become energized. With relay R energized, and with lever k in its n position, a normal circuit will be completed for causing mechanism M to move switch H to its normal position. This normal circuit is the same as the reverse circuit previously traced for mechanism M except that it includes contacts 9 and I2 of lever k in their normal positions instead of in their reverse positions.

We will now assume that, with all parts of the apparatus again returned to the normal condition, the leverman clears signal S thereby deenergizing relay P, or that relay '1 becomes deenergized. With either relay P or T deenergized, relay Q will be deenergized, causing relay R to also be deenergized.

We will further assume that, while relay Q is deenergized, the leverman by mistake attempts to reverse switch H by moving lever k to the 1' position. On account of relay Q being deenergized, the pickup circuit for relay R will be open at contact 8 of relay Q, although it is closed at contact 6 of lever it. Since relay R therefore does not become energized, mechanism M will not become energized when lever it reaches the r position.

We will also assume that the leverman does not return lever k to its 12 position, and that while lever k is still in the 1' position, relay Q again becomes energized. Although the pickup circuit for relay R will now be closed at contact 8 of relay Q, it can not become closed at contact 6 of lever is without action at this time by the leverman to move lever k between its 11. and 1' positions to close contact 5 and thereby complete the pickup circuit for relay R.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing, it follows that apparatus embodying our invention includes a stick relay which is so controlled as to require action by the leverman at a time when traffic conditions are suitable for operation of the switch. The stick relay will then remain energized as long as traffic conditions are suitable for operation of the switch. The circuit for the switch mechanism will therefore remain closed at contacts l0 and II as long as conditions are suitable for operation of the switch. If trafiic conditions becomes unsuitable for operation of the switch, any action by the leverman in order to be eflective to operate the switch, must be taken after traffic conditions have again become suitable for operation of the switch.

Although we have herein shown and described only one form of railway traflic controlling apparatus embodying our invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In combination, a stretch of railway track including a switch, a manually operable switch lever having a normal and a reverse position and having a normal and a reverse contact closed only when said lever is in said normal and reverse positions respectively as well as having a middle contact closed only when said lever is between its normal and reverse positions, a stick relay, a pickup circuit for said stick relay controlled by said middle contact and by traffic conditions in said stretch of track, a stick circuit for said stick relay controlled by trafiic conditions in said stretch of track independently of said lever, and means controlled by said normal and reverse contacts and by said stick relay for operating said switch to its normal and reverse positions if said stick relay is energized.

2. In combination, a railway track switch, a manually operable switch lever having a normal and a reverse position, a traffic contact controlled by traii'ic conditions and arranged to be closed only when said tramc conditions are suitable for said switch to be operated, a stick relay, a pickup circuit for said stick relay closed by said lever when said lever is between its normal and reverse positions if said traiiic contact is closed, a stick circuit for said stick relay controlled by said trafiic contact independently of said lever, and means controlled by said lever in its normal and reverse positions for operating said switch to its normal and reverse positions respectively if said stick relay is energized.

3. In combination, a railway track switch, a manually controllable contact, a traflic contact closed only by traflic conditions suitable for operation of said switch, a stick relay, a pickup circuit for said stick relay closed by said manually controllable contact if said traific contact is closed, a stick circuit for said stick relay controlled by said traflic contact independently of said manually controllable contact, and manually controllable means for operating said switch to its normal and reverse positions if said stick relay is energized and if said manually controllable contact is open.

4. In combination, a trafllc governing device having two control positions for a given stretch of railway track, a trafiic contact controlled by traific conditions and which is at times opened if a train is approaching said traflic governing device from a given direction, a manually controllable contact, a stick relay, a pickup circuit for said stick relay which can be closed by said manually controllable contact if said trafiic contact is closed, a stick circuit for said stick relay controlled by said traflic contact independently of said manually controllable contact, and manually controllable means for operating said traific governing device to each of said two control positions if said stick relay is energized and if said manually controllable contact is open.

5. In combination, a stretch of railway track including a switch, a manually operable switch lever having a normal and a reverse position and having a normal and a reverse contact closed positions respectively as well as having a middle contact closed only when said lever is between its normal and reverse positions, a stick relay. a pickup circuit for said stick relay controlled by said middle contact and by traffic conditions in said stretch of track, a stick circuit for said stick relay controlled by trafllc conditions in said stretch of track independently of said lever, an asymmetric unit connected across the winding of said stick relay to permit energy stored in said relay by said pickup circuit to send current through said winding in the same direction as said pickup circuit it said pickup circuit is opened before said stick circuit becomes closed, and means controlled by said normal and reverse contacts and by said stick relay for operating said switch to its normal and reverse positions if said stick relay is energized.

6. In combination, a railway track switch, a manually controllable contact, a traflic contact closed only by tramc conditions suitable for operation of said switch, a stick relay, a pickup circuit for said stick relay closed by said manually controllable contact if said trafllc contact is closed, a stick circuit for said stick relay con- 5 trolled by said tramc contact independently of said manually controllable contact, an asymmetric unit connected across the winding of said stick relay to permit energy stored in said relay by said pickup circuit to send current through 10 said winding in the same direction as said pickup circuit it said pickup circuit is opened before said stick circuit becomes closed, and manually controllable means for operating said switch to its normal and reverse positions if said stick re- 15 lay is energized and if said manually controllable contact is open.

EARL M. ALLEN. HENRY S. YOUNG. 

